Conference Update
There has been a fantastic international response to the Great War in Africa Conference to be held in May. Thanks to all who submitted papers. All African theatres are covered, with biographies, film, novels and social aspects being covered. There will also be displays of other aspects of the war – so if you want to submit a poster or display article, please get in touch. Books will also be on sale – including at least 2 new titles. Please get in touch if you want to promote your book at the conference.
Finally, don’t forget to book your place.

Copyright
Legislation was passed in September 2015 which affects copyright and intellectual property rights of authors and photographers. I thought it worthwhile sharing the main points.

If you are the owner of original manuscripts, diaries, images and photos of people involved in WW1, it does not mean you own the copyright. The copyright rests with the person who created the item. If you want to reproduce the item, permission from the person who created the item, or their heir, needs to be obtained. This can involve some searching. Where the copyright holder cannot be found, the item is referred to as an orphan work. There is a checklist to confirm orphan status, and further detail can be found here.

On the positive side, fair usage of copyright material has been extended for education purposes. Details can be found here.

Specific copyright periods likely to affect World War 1 materials.

For computer generated work, copyright lasts for 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work was created.
Crown copyright (British Government produced documents, published and unpublished) – best to check The National Archive guidance
Parliamentary copyright – 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work was made

Now for the crunch on works of unknown authorship: for unpublished works which were created before 1989, copyright remains in place until 31 December 2039.
When a work is published, or the author/creator is identified, copyright reverts to the life plus 70 years from the end of the year in which the person died.

Works created for an employer belong to the employer and their permission needs to be obtained for publication purposes; for military and admiralty reports the employer is the Crown.

The above applies to British legislation and documents produced in Britain. Documents produced in other countries and by citizens of other countries are governed by the laws pertaining to those countries, so should be checked. The UK law is now in alignment with EU directives as set out in this guidance.